The Minister of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Olga Pané, recommended wearing a mask on public transport due to the current flu epidemic. In addition, he said that people with symptoms should also wear it in general, as well as ventilate rooms where social gatherings take place.
In statements to Catalunya Ràdio he added that The Government has no power to act in these areas, and that it has already regulated in places where it can do so, such as health centers and residential centers. The councilor also stressed that the epidemic should be “a little longer” than usual, because the peak is expected around Christmas, when there will be more social gatherings.
On the other hand, he explained that The current vaccine does not correspond to the predominant virus in circulation, since it is a mutation. Concretely, he explained that it is subtype A (H3N2) variant K, which, according to the latest official data, represents 69% of cases. This means that the vaccine administered does not contain all of the virus, but that it contains “a part of it”, which means that it protects “a little”, according to Pané.
Regardless, the advisor emphasized that what we observe is that this vaccine “protects against serious cases” and that is why she called on the entire population to be vaccinated. Precisely regarding the severity, and according to what is observed in countries where the epidemic has already passed, Pané emphasized that We are not seeing as many serious cases as would be expected from a new virus.
Children and young people are the first to be infected
The incidence of influenza in health centers was initially observed among children and young people, who are usually the first to be infected, and “gradually” older people enter. In the case of admissions to intensive care, these are mainly people suffering from chronic problems worsened by the flu.
The councilor stressed that the public health system “has been preparing for a long time” and that, like every year, between December 1 and the end of March, the Comprehensive Emergency Plan of Catalonia (PIUC) is launched. He specified that this year this is accompanied by 36 million euros to strengthen services, although he emphasized that this reinforcement does not reach all places in the same way, but as reality progresses.
Expansion of cancer screening
On the other hand, Pané explained that “gradually” it will be integrated into the service portfolio the extension of colon cancer screening to age 75, incorporating an additional year each year until 2030.
Concerning the fact of being able to extend screening to other cancers, such as breast cancer, he specified that These expansions are often discussed “as if they were a political or resource decision.” when he affirmed that it had to be a decision approved by the technicians. And that’s it Bread said that widening a screen can result in many positives, but also negatives, such as false positives. “It is the experts who say when they should be expanded or not,” insisted. In addition, he emphasized that beyond financial resources, there is a need for specialists who can read the tests correctly.
In any case, he indicated that the possibility of expanding the screening of other tumors, such as breast cancer or implanted lung cancer, is being studied, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, but always taking into account the opinion of the technicians on the appropriate time to do so and about the technology resources you need to do it well.
In addition, Bread highlighted the the importance of encouraging people to go to screens, since he explained that in the case of breast surgery, which is performed on women between 50 and 65 years old, only 60% of those could go. Among this population, approximately 1,400 cancers are detected, and Bread He said if the entire population could go, the tests could detect 1,000 more tumors.
About the ban on smoking on terraces, insisted that it was a necessary measurenot only because those who smoke stop doing so, but because the measure includes an educational component, particularly for the youngest.
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